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enPM: Iraqi forces drive Islamic State out of central Tikrithttp://www.egyptindependent.com//node/2447174
<img src="http://www.egyptindependent.com///sites/default/files/imagecache/media_thumbnail/photo/2015/03/31/484151/2015-03-31t151209z_1_lynxmpeb2u0r6_rtroptp_2_midest-crisis-iraq-tikrit-gains.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-media_thumbnail" width="152" height="114" /><div>Iraqi troops aided by Shi&#39;ite paramilitaries have driven Islamic State out of central Tikrit, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Tuesday, but the fight to retake all of Saddam Hussein&#39;s home town continued.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Government forces have been in a month-long fight for the city, which became a bastion for the Sunni jihadists who are at war with Baghdad and have been targeted by US-led air strikes.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Hundreds of insurgents ready to fight to the death are still holed up in Salahuddin province&#39;s capital city and at least three neighborhoods remain under Islamic State control, along with a palace complex in the city&#39;s north.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The further Iraqi forces push into the city, the greater the risk of ambushes.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;Our security forces have reached the center of Tikrit and they have liberated the southern and western sides and they are moving towards the control of the whole city,&quot; Abadi said in a statement.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In their push from southern Tikrit, security forces and paramilitary fighters retook the governor&#39;s headquarters and the main hospital which had been occupied by Islamic State.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Reuters journalists traveling with the police passed houses scarred by bullets, mortars and rockets as well as five or six corpses that security officers said were Islamic State fighters, adding that they might be rigged with explosives.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Iraqi officials suspect the militants have planted scores of bombs and are using snipers and a network of underground tunnels and bunkers to slow the government advance.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Tuesday saw Shi&#39;ite militia groups return to the battle after suspending operations last Thursday when US.-led air strikes were requested by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Iranian-backed armed factions had opposed US-led strikes, insisting that their paramilitary forces could retake Tikrit, seized last June by Islamic State militants as they raced across northern Iraq.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Anti-American groups Kata&#39;ib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq said they had joined federal police and army forces in going deeper into the city on Tuesday after Abadi, a moderate Shi&#39;ite Islamist who became prime minister last year, agreed to halt US air strikes.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>They said air strikes in the city on Tuesday were being carried out only by the Iraqi military. A federal police officer made a similar claim.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>But the prime minister&#39;s office said no such order had been issued and US officials said they were not aware of any military freeze.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The US government, which deeply mistrusts the pro-Iranian Shi&#39;ite militias, has sought ways to participate in the Tikrit battle without acknowledging working with forces backed by Tehran.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>US. officials have insisted on an Iraqi government military command for the fight, even as Shi&#39;ite militia forces remain the strongest presence on the ground.</div><div>&nbsp;</div>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 16:00:00 +0000Reuters2447174 at http://www.egyptindependent.comsites/default/files/photo/2015/03/31/484151/2015-03-31t151209z_1_lynxmpeb2u0r6_rtroptp_2_midest-crisis-iraq-tikrit-gains.jpgOfficials: Greece, lenders, fail to unlock aid so farhttp://www.egyptindependent.com//node/2447170
<img src="http://www.egyptindependent.com///sites/default/files/imagecache/media_thumbnail/photo/2015/01/30/499612/greece.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-media_thumbnail" width="152" height="114" /><p><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/places/greece" title="Full coverage of Greece">Greece</a>&nbsp;and its EU/IMF lenders failed to reach an initial deal to unlock aid after the creditors dismissed a package of reforms from Athens as ideas rather than a concrete plan, officials said on Tuesday.</p><p>Athens faces the prospect of running out of money in three weeks unless it can convince lenders to dole out more financial help.</p><p>Athens put a brave face on the failure to reach an agreement with the &quot;Brussels Group&quot; of representatives from the EU and the IMF, saying it remained intent on striking a deal on the basis of its long-held demand that the measures it is asked to implement do not hurt economic growth. Lenders will intensify efforts to collect data in Athens, it said.</p><p>One source close to the talks said the halt in negotiations was not a sign of a rupture but an indication of slow-moving progress in the discussions.</p><p>At issue is a list of reforms that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/greece" rel="nofollow">Greece</a>&nbsp;presented to the Brussels Group representatives last week, in an effort to show lenders that it is committed to living up to pledges of financial discipline and is worthy of aid.</p><p>But&nbsp;<a href="http://uk.reuters.com/subjects/euro-zone" title="Full coverage of Euro Zone">euro zone</a>&nbsp;officials panned the list as a set of ideas rather than a comprehensive plan. One EU official said the lenders had yet to receive the list they had been waiting for.</p><p>A conference call of the Euro Working Group -&nbsp;euro zone&nbsp;deputy finance ministers - remains scheduled for Wednesday and will allow the bloc to take stock of developments so far, an official said.</p><p>&quot;We obviously look forward to receiving a list as soon as possible. That&#39;s the aim of the ongoing discussions: to exchange information on detailed reform measures and intentions,&quot; the official said.</p>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:51:00 +0000AFP,Reuters2447170 at http://www.egyptindependent.comsites/default/files/photo/2015/01/30/499612/greece.jpgOne dead, two hurt as vehicle tries to ram US spy agency gateshttp://www.egyptindependent.com//node/2447164
<img src="http://www.egyptindependent.com///sites/default/files/imagecache/media_thumbnail/photo/2015/03/31/484151/spy_agency.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-media_thumbnail" width="152" height="114" /><div>Two people tried to run their vehicle through the National Security Agency&#39;s gates near Washington on Monday before guards at the spy agency fatally shot one of them, said officials, who added there was no evidence of a link to terrorism.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The second occupant of the vehicle was also shot, according to one official, and a police officer was injured.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Both suspects, who were dressed in women&#39;s clothes and may be transgender, tried to drive their sport utility vehicle through an entrance at the agency&#39;s Fort Meade, Maryland, headquarters, US law enforcement and security officials said.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The motive was not immediately known, but one official said drugs may have been involved in the incident that occurred about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Washington.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Officials told Reuters they could not confirm media reports that weapons and drugs were found in the SUV.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The surviving suspect was a resident of Baltimore, a federal law enforcement official said. Local news media said the person was in intensive care.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A law enforcement official said investigators were trying to determine the identity of the person who died.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A Howard County police spokeswoman said the SUV was stolen in the morning from outside a hotel in nearby Jessup, Maryland.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The NSA said in a statement that the two people in the vehicle &quot;attempted an unauthorized entry&quot; and failed to follow directions to leave the gate area.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The vehicle accelerated toward an NSA police car blocking the road at the base gate. Officers fired when the driver refused to stop.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The vehicle crashed into the police car. One of the vehicle&#39;s occupants died at the scene of an undetermined cause, the NSA statement said. A federal official said both occupants had been shot by NSA police.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Television helicopter footage showed two damaged vehicles outside the gates to NSA headquarters, just off a major highway linking Baltimore and Washington. Video showed at least one person in uniform being wheeled to an ambulance.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>One of the vehicles shown was marked &quot;Police&quot; and had its hood up. The other, a dark vehicle, had front-end damage.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The FBI said it was working with the US Attorney&#39;s Office in Maryland to determine whether federal charges were warranted.</div><div>&nbsp;</div>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:36:00 +0000Reuters2447164 at http://www.egyptindependent.comsites/default/files/photo/2015/03/31/484151/spy_agency.jpgObama plans first presidential trip to Kenya, father's homelandhttp://www.egyptindependent.com//node/2447161
<img src="http://www.egyptindependent.com///sites/default/files/imagecache/media_thumbnail/photo/2015/03/31/484151/part-was-was8914619-1-1-0.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-media_thumbnail" width="152" height="114" /><div>Barack Obama will make a long-awaited return to Kenya this July, visiting his father&#39;s homeland for the first time since becoming US president, the White House announced Monday.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>During the much-delayed visit, Obama will attend a summit to encourage entrepreneurship and meet the country&#39;s controversial leader Uhuru Kenyatta.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Obama&#39;s late father was from a small village near the shores of Lake Victoria. He met Obama&#39;s white American mother in Hawaii, where they had a son before divorcing.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>America&#39;s first black president has visited sub-Saharan Africa four times since taking office in 2009, but political scandal has blocked a presidential visit to his ancestral home.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>For much of Obama&#39;s time in power, Kenya&#39;s president Kenyatta had been under investigation by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Kenyatta was indicted on five counts of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in 2007-08 post-election violence that killed an estimated 1,200 people.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The 53-year-old son of Kenya&#39;s founding father protested his innocence until the case was dropped in December.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Prosecutors complained that they had been undermined by a lack of cooperation by the Kenyan government, as well as the bribing or intimidation of witnesses.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A White House official told AFP that Obama and Kenyatta would meet during the visit.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The official, who asked not to be named, said the United States regularly raises &quot;concerns with the Kenyan government about restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms.&quot;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;The president&#39;s trip will create another opportunity for dialogue with the government and civil society on these issues.&quot;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Kenyatta had attended a US-Africa summit in Washington in 2014 but did not hold a bilateral meeting with Obama.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Kenya is seen as a front in the fight against global terror, following a series of deadly attacks that have been claimed by Somalia-based jihadist group al-Shebab.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Many Western governments have since warned tourists against visiting Kenya&#39;s stunning coastline, which draws in hordes of visitors and much-needed tourism revenue.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong><span style="line-height: 1.4;">Forefathers and ancestry</span></strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The White House hopes that a visit will also do more to cement ties between the United States and the African continent, which has received billions in Chinese investment in recent decades.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;Just as President (John) Kennedy&#39;s historic visit to Ireland in 1963 celebrated the connections between Irish-Americans and their forefathers, President Obama&#39;s trip will honor the strong historical ties between the United States and Kenya &ndash; and all of Africa,&quot; White House advisors said in a blog.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Millions of Americans trace their ancestry to the African continent, and more than 100,000 Americans live in or visit Kenya each year, they said.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Obama had visited Kenya multiple times before entering politics and in 2006 as a US senator, when he visited his father&#39;s home village Nyang&#39;oma-Kogelo and took a very public HIV test.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The president&#39;s heritage has spurred domestic controversy, with some hardline political foes claiming he was not born in the United States and so was ineligible to become president.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Obama allies say this is thinly veiled racism and the president has often made light of the controversy.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;If I did not love America, I wouldn&#39;t have moved here from Kenya,&quot; he recently joked.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Some Republicans accused Obama of trying to stir up controversy.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;I personally think he&rsquo;s just inciting some chatter on an issue that should have been a dead issue a long time ago,&quot; John Sununu, who served as White House chief of staff for president George H. W. Bush, told Fox News.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>On the July visit, Obama is expected to take part in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which is being held in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;Hosting the GES is an opportunity for Kenya to showcase its economic progress,&quot; said the White House official.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&quot;Kenya maintains enormous potential for economic growth, thanks to the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the Kenyan people.&quot;</div>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:25:00 +0000Reuters,AFP2447161 at http://www.egyptindependent.comsites/default/files/photo/2015/03/31/484151/part-was-was8914619-1-1-0.jpg